Chapter 46

The nerves of almost everyone in the city were gradually tense during the day-by-day preparations, so much so that when the soldiers reported that black was beginning to move towards Pingyi, many people even breathed a sigh of relief.

It's finally here.

Wen Yi, Song Jin, and the others took a deep breath, climbed up the tallest building in the city, and looked south. Although they couldn't see clearly, they could see something unusual wherever they looked.

The bell behind was rung by the soldier on duty, and the urgent reminder sound from the tower was transmitted to every corner of the city.

The notices during this period were basically all about this matter, and people were sent to various places to explain it in detail. Even those who didn't care much were taught by their neighbors and family members, and now they naturally knew what to do.

Those who were prepared to resist had already made preparations and were in place at this moment. The remaining people who were prepared to replace them had also begun to recuperate in the training grounds, ready to take over from those who retreated from the front at any time.

The children who were playing outside were quickly taken home by the adults around them.

The vast majority of people were reminded to stay at home during this period, and vendors who had not left were also reminded to move to a safer place. Everyone closed the doors and windows and ate the food prepared in advance in the house.

All the guards outside the city wore nets on their heads and tied up the exposed skin with cloth strips to prevent insects from gnawing on them.

All the things originally used to drive away birds were also used. The sound of gongs and drums could affect these alienated insects to a certain extent, and preserve crops and trees that had not yet fully matured.

After descending from the platform, they changed into protective clothing. Nan Xun and Song Jin boarded the siege equipment brought out from the city, holding flags of different colors. From a high point, they observed the movement, and the soldiers responded according to the instructions of the different flags.

Wen Yi climbed up the city wall. If more things broke through the defenses, she would lead the remaining people to make a final defense.

Now we are worried that it is too late to deal with the other cities, so we can only try our best to ensure that Pingyi is not affected.

Buzz——

Although the movement speed is not fast when viewed from a distance, the dark shadows give people a great sense of oppression when approaching.

When the locusts approached the first temporary wall, Song Jin decisively waved the flag, and the soldiers holding large nets and gongs and drums cooperated with each other to drive the insects into the pre-set traps.

Wen Yi, who was standing on the city wall not far away, saw that most of the people had been stopped, and only a few had broken through the outer perimeter. The rows of people behind were also moving forward with torches and net bags.

It should be said that these bugs, after mutating in a cluster, became terrifying. They could even chew through masks soaked in special herbs and reinforced, not to mention the net bags. However, the soldiers who realized that their protective measures were about to be compromised quickly retreated, and those behind them temporarily took over while they quickly changed into new equipment.

They persisted like this for nearly an hour, and the originally dug pit was almost filled with those yellow insects. Nan Xun and Song Jin, who were standing in the front, came down, and the disaster was temporarily stopped.

Generally speaking, there will not be several waves of insects heading in one direction, because almost nothing will be left in the areas they have eaten, but it is hard to say whether other cities can stop them, so we still need to be on guard in other directions.

Although the marginal land was still damaged, fortunately most of the farmland was preserved.

As for the insects that were killed, although some people said that they could remove their heads and abdomens and eat them, Wen Yi and Song Jin decided not to take the risk after discussing it, and simply buried them in a pit covered with thick lime.

Fortunately, everyone's worries did not come true. After a few days, not-so-bad news came from Xinyi and several other places. Although they all suffered some losses, with proper precautions, at least some food could be preserved.

The worst-hit areas were so overwhelmed by the locust swarms that nearly half flew in the other direction. Fortunately, Xinyi didn't let down its guard after weathering the first wave and was able to handle it.

The messenger sent by Wen Yi to the south has not returned yet. It seems that he had intentionally revealed that the number of locusts reaching their side was much less than recorded, so they should not have suffered a complete loss.

On the contrary, Yao Wenjun did not suffer much harm, perhaps because he was not on the moving path. This was good news after all.

As if to make up for the recent drought, rain has fallen almost every few days since the insect plague. Fortunately, the roads in Pingyi were built later and the drainage facilities are relatively complete, so walking on them is not muddy, but it is still inconvenient.

"This year is really something. At first, I was always worried about the drought, and now I'm worried about too much rain." Song Jin looked out the window. It was stuffy outside, and the rain falling on his body was extremely uncomfortable.

Sang Yu on the side put down the account book in his hand and did not make any comment.

Apart from Amu and his group who left first, the rest of the people are still in the academy, including a group of guys who are undergoing new assessments, but the heavy rain may delay that group's journey.

Song Jin's previous words were a sigh of regret. He was the only person he knew well in the Office of Affairs. Even Wen Yi had gone to the city that had been severely affected by the disaster a few days ago, bringing some supplies and food.

Wen Yi, who was being talked about, was traveling in the rain at this time. Fortunately, the situation here was better than Pingyi, and the rain was not heavy enough to hinder their progress.

In many places on the road, only bare branches were left, and there were only a few newly sprouted grass sprouts on the ground. It seemed that a swarm of insects had passed by before.

Many people felt sympathetic, and some seemed to have thought of something and quickly shook their heads to suppress those bad thoughts.

Since they were still in their territory, there were not many refugees on the road. The occasional ones they saw were those who had come out to seek refuge with their relatives or had started doing business. They were not afraid when they saw Wen Yi and his group. They just looked at them curiously and then continued on their way.

"How long will it take to arrive?"

Wen Yi asked the person who was leading the way. The person lowered his head and thought for a while before replying:

"If we continue at the current speed, we'll probably arrive by evening."

Wen Yi nodded. The weather seemed to be getting worse. It would be best to reach the destination as soon as possible rather than resting and camping outside.

The meals were not eaten all at once as usual, but were rotated to eat the food prepared in advance. It was a little cold, but it still tasted great when one was hungry.

Wen Yi also managed to take two bites. Although there was a frame and basic shock absorption measures on it, it was still shaking. He couldn't read any documents and could only close his eyes and think about something.

For example, the area under their management is not small anymore, and although there is a rotation process, their control is still weak. If something happens in a certain place, if someone deliberately suppresses it, there may be new changes.

In the past, because there were not many cities, a few people could handle it. But now, the information between Yao Wenjun and Pingyi is somewhat disconnected, and the disadvantage of no intermediate processing or coordination has become apparent. The only reason why the situation can be maintained is that the people sent out are capable.

The same was true of this insect plague. Although the replies from the cities indicated that they had completed their preparations, the fact that different results occurred despite having almost the same defensive measures speaks volumes.

This is why she chose to come here alone, because the losses here were much greater than expected.

Yao Wenjun had said something similar in a previous letter. Although Wen Yi was very clear about the simplest method that could be used now and their current strength was enough to suppress certain voices, that did not seem to be what Yao Wenjun wanted.

And later...

Wen Yi shook his head. The current situation had not been resolved yet. Thinking about difficulties that had not yet appeared would only add to the troubles.

In the evening, the group finally saw the city wall in the distance.

Most of the lush fields outside the city have become like the roads, with only roots left. The remaining plants are mostly just stems, with traces of gnawing on the leaves.

Many people are working hard to maintain the few remaining fields, and what is revealed in their eyes is not fear, but confusion.

Seeing the flags behind Wen Yi and others, the people standing at the edge of the field were stunned for a moment, then they remembered what this familiar pattern was, and their original confusion gradually turned into surprise.

This is a team from Pingyi.

Looking at those frames, they are filled with stuff that is definitely not useless.

The man turned quickly and stumbled towards the supervisor in charge of the area, gesturing with his hands as if he was saying something. The supervisor was initially a little displeased, but upon hearing what the man said, he subconsciously looked up and met Wen Yi's eyes as he walked out of the frame.

Wen Yi did not feel relieved because he arrived in the city a little earlier. Instead, he felt extremely heavy-hearted.

The situation here is much more serious than what was said in the letter. From what I saw, it was not just that most of the land was damaged, but that almost all the fields outside the city had no harvest.

Her face looked unhappy, and even the soldiers fell silent. No one spoke any more.

"My Lord, you have come all this way, and it is truly a loss..."

Before the supervisor could finish his words, Wen Yi interrupted him and said, "Let's go into the city first. We can discuss other matters later."

Fortunately, the situation in the city was good and not affected. Wen Yi's face finally looked better. Although most of the farmland would surround the city, in the areas with few residents, those vacant areas would also be used to grow food.

During the reconstruction, Wen Yi intended to expand the area of ​​each city. With new building materials and professional construction teams, these things were finally completed smoothly. Now she estimated the grain that could be grown on the remaining fields, which could barely last until the autumn crops in other places matured.

With the addition of replanting, we can still hold on, but life will not be easy during this period, but we won’t starve to death.

The soldiers following around also breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Wen Yi was usually more affable and, on the surface, more approachable than Yao Wenjun, he was always extremely serious when things happened. When Yao Wenjun was in a bad mood, some people would go up to her and play tricks on her, but at most they would get a few mild blows. But when Wen Yi was in a bad mood, everyone would tacitly remain silent.

When the person in charge heard that the ceremony was already underway, he quickly packed up his things and went out to welcome her in.

Wen Yi nodded and went straight to the office to pick up the collected data and began to examine it. Everyone in the office had stood up and were waiting, and for a moment, only the sound of Wen Yi flipping through papers could be heard.

After a long time, the person who was originally sitting in the position of the person in charge finally stood up, holding in his hand the data collected in the past two days and the letter that had not yet been sent.

Wen Yi remembered the figures originally reported clearly, and the actual losses before him were 20% higher than what was reported.

The fields in the city were also intentionally concealed, and the two things offset each other. If Wen Yi had not come suddenly, when the grain was collected, even if someone came to check the accounts, no obvious mistakes would be found.

"Who came up with this idea?" Wen Yi said calmly.

The sending of official documents requires the involvement of many people. According to the rules set by Wen Yi and others, at least everyone in the office needs to press his or her own seal, which means that at least everyone present is an insider.

It’s just not clear who are the masterminds and who agreed under duress.